President Donald Trump on Monday emphatically referred to his executive order on immigration as a "travel ban" -- and said his Justice Department should not have submitted a "watered down, politically correct version" to the Supreme Court.

Trump's suggestion that changes to the ban -- which, among other things, temporarily restricts travel to the US from several Muslim-majority countries -- were due to political correctness could hamper his administration's legal argument that the executive order did not target Muslims. As a candidate, Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslim immigration to the United States.

He then tweeted: "The Justice Dept. should ask for an expedited hearing of the watered down Travel Ban before the Supreme Court - & seek much tougher version!" before adding: "In any event we are EXTREME VETTING people coming into the U.S. in order to help keep our country safe. The courts are slow and political!"

In any event we are EXTREME VETTING people coming into the U.S. in order to help keep our country safe. The courts are slow and political!

Last week, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the ban after lower courts rebuked his national security justifications for the ban multiple times.

At times, Trump's administration has insisted the executive order is not a "travel ban," though the President himself has referred to it as such, using the term "travel ban" on Twitter in early February.